Posts tagged ‘Ingredients’

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May 18, 2012

How Can I Heal My Hair Without Nasty Chemicals?

Moroccan Oil or Coconut Oil? Which is better for your hair

There was some questions and talk around the Batty’s Bath studio this week about how to deal with unruly, frizz hair. While I will provide a quick “band-aide” solution in upcoming posts to help you deal with the symptoms of damaged hair, like being unruly, frizzy, breakage, etc… This post is about how to heal your hair so you start working towards solving the problem of damaged hair first! :)

There are many products on the market claiming to calm frizzy hair.  One of these products that are part of the “natural care” world that I am sure you have heard of to tame this type of mane is Moroccan oil.

 Moroccan oil is touted as being able to lubricate and help to rebuild the broken hair cuticle which takes away the frizz. This oil is also said to help make the hair shinier as well as help it grow faster.  I know, when you heard about it, it’s like wow! The frizzy hair miracle!

 However I’m sorry to bust your hair cuticle, but this is one of those infamous hair myths. Sadly, even though it is natural and smells good, it just didn’t get the job done for the hair frizz blues!

Moroccan oil is like the mineral oil of the hair care world, it just lubricates the top layer.

Moroccan oil doesn’t really do anything to heal the hair and banish frizz into oblivion. So what to do you ask? How can I heal my hair without nasty chemicals?

The answer is the oil of our tropical friend the coconut! Coconut oil not only helps to lubricate the hair, rebuild the broken hair cuticle, but it actually penetrates your beautiful locks, for 360 degrees hair health. Coconut oil unlike Moroccan oil contains an essential acid called lauric acid. Lauric acid  is what helps this oil penetrate your hair, and moisturize it from the inside out.  Coconut oil also helps the hair to retain moisture (which is really important when your hair is already looking crazy!). This is due to it not being easily broken down and coconut oil being high in moisture. Wow!. It also has vitamin E, which helps to keep hair in good health.

Coconut oil is the solution no matter how your hair got frizzy, whether it be from being in the sun too much,  genetics, or chemical damage (coloring, perms), and too much heat (curling irons, blow dryers etc).

Here at Batty’s Bath, we know the power of the lovely coconut.

You can find it in the hair serum, which is chock full of coconut, as well as in our shampoo bar!

Stay tuned to the blog for more healthy hair advice or never miss an article by signing up for email updates (see the top left of this blog).

P.s. Have a great long weekend!

<3 Batty


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May 12, 2012

Aromatherapy Wellness Cabinet DIY Series: What’s in Mine

beautiful hankies that hold and protect special beloved treasures.

beautiful hankies that hold and protect special beloved treasures.

As many of you know my beloved MacBook Pro died about a week ago and I’m in another flare up – a flare that has lasted longer than they usually do (not that they are totally predictable).  The silver living is that because my laptop died while I was in a flare up, it gave me the break I needed. I’ve felt less guilty about taking time to take care of myself and reflect while I wait for a new MacBook Pro to arrive. Now, instead of filling this post with my computer and health woes, I thought I’d start a series that will help YOU!

Some, but not many, of my friends have “wellness cabinets”.  Wellness cabinets are similar to medicine cabinets (and some aren’t cabinets at all! Even a small box works!). 

And I think they are wonderful things to work into any families home and add to it as you find more ingredients, and other items that are suitable for it. Put it near your first aid or emergency preparedness kit. One of the things we have in ours, is essential oils.

As you may have noticed, essential oils are used abundantly in the product line, and rightfully so as they are superbly healing on many levels as well as smell delightfully well.  You may be wondering, hmm how can I harness the healing power of essential oils outside of these wonderful creations by Batty’s Bath. Well in this series I will cover ten basic essential oils, that everyone should keep in their wellness cabinet. These oils have a wide variety of uses, and we will touch on them each individually.

   The ten basic essential oils that will be introduced to you for this DIY series are:

  • lavender
  • chamomile
  • tea tree
  • eucalyptus
  • lemon
  • peppermint
  • geranium
  • thyme
  • rosemary
  • clove 

In each section of this series basic information will be given on their properties, how you can use them, and even a little treat at the end of each piece with a DIY recipe.

Now before we get into the fun stuff. …..

I want to make sure you are a savvy essential oil shopper!

So I have to give you a quick briefing on how to buy the high quality essential oils. There are a lot of essential oils out there on the market, some are excellent, some belong in the trash can of grouch from sesame street. Here’s why. Top quality essentials oils are of a therapeutic nature.

Here’s a quick list of how to make sure you get the best essential oils:

  1. They will have their scientific and common name on the bottle.
  2. Also check the prices, because different oils take different amounts of material to produce the essential oil, it causes a variety in prices. For example rose essential oil and lemon essential oil should not be the same price. If you see essential oils that are all the same price, or nearly the same price, run to the next brand. This is one of the indicators that the essential oil may have been cut substantially with a substance, so it may be one drop of the essential oil to give it a scent, and it will lack the healing power that the aromatherapy world claims.
  3. You will also want to check how the bottles are stored. Essential oils should be in an amber or other dark colored bottle. This helps to protect it from its properties being destroyed by light.

Now my savvy shopper, once you get your goods home, you will want to make sure that you properly care for your oils.

  • One is to never store them in direct sunlight, keep them in a cool dark place such as a cabinet to help preserve them.
  • Secondly replace the top (lid) of the essential oil bottles as soon as you are done with them, as they can evaporate fairly quickly.
  • Thirdly, and most importantly is to keep the essential oils out of reach of children and pets. Even though essential oils are lovely, they are still medicinal in nature and can have very harmful effects if they get into the wrong little hands or paws!

Well now that those things are covered, we can move onto the fun stuff. Look for my piece on lavender essential oil which will be coming to the blog within the next couple weeks. Until then I have some other topics I’d like to share so stay tuned :)

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April 27, 2012

Are Bubble Baths and Beach Babes Compatible?

Batty in her birthday balloon bubble bath
I am sure when you came across this title, you may have thought what? What does bubble baths and being a beach babe have to do with each other? .. and it’s not just the water! Read on and I’ll tell you more!

 

Summer is fast approaching, and there’s many girls are trying to get their bodies as well as their skin in tip top shape. They also want to feel sexier, and smell good because those are two more things that come to mind when one thinks of warm weather. At least I’ve been told! Although I love my dresses, pretty nails and glitter, in a lot of other ways, I’m a typical tomboy!

 

But, that wont stop me from helping out those of you who are looking some “beach ready” tips!

 

One thing that many may be using in their  quest for great skin, great smell and to feel sexier is bubble bath.  However if you want to rock a sexy swimsuit or hot bikini this summer, you might want to think twice about pouring [commercially made] bubble bath in your tub. Why? Because if the person or company making the bubble bath isn’t diligent, those  lovely scents and bursting bubbles can give you oh so not beach friendly yeast infections. Yes you heard right! Yeast infections!

 

How you ask?

Well one way that (poorly made) bubble baths cause yeast infections is that they irritate the delicate and sensitive vaginal tissues and the irritation is a perfect breeding ground for a fresh yeast infection.

Secondly, bubble baths can raise the amount of moisture that’s in the vaginal canal, which in turn causes yeast to breed to the point of a yeast infection.

 

Thirdly, you know that lovely scent that makes you feel like you are on a tropical island or other pretty idea? If the bubble bath fragrance isn’t natural, paraben free, or skin safe, it is likely to be poorly made, chemical laden fragrance that can make changes in your flora, and cause an infection.

Sodium lauryl sulfate, the stuff that makes the big pretty bubbles is another beach bummer chemical. 

I’ve actually written about SLS several times and for good reason. This chemical is known to further exacerbate the problem, and make the yeast infection harder to treat. But here is the kicker, these ingredients can cause CHRONIC (read long lasting hard to treat) yeast infections.
As you can see there is NOTHING sexy about commercially made bubble baths.  If you love a good soak in the tub as much as I do, stick with bath goodies that are made by someone who is highly knowledge AND cares about YOU more than making a quick buck. I make a 100 percent bikini and swimsuit friendly bubble bath that is free of all the nasty chemicals that can make you feel oh so less than sexy this season! The only kicker is that it will only be available as a made-to-order item soon! Pick it up before the limited amount of jars I do have made sell out! Here’s the link.

 

(pst, if they ARE sold out, check out the made-to-order section to order or contact me!)

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April 9, 2012

How to Use Lavender from Your Skin Care Garden

I have been talking to you in the last couple of entries about using herbs from your skin care garden. Today I am going to be talking to you about one of the most common and yet those most fragrant herbs: Lavender!

This is one of the most commonly known herbs and one of the most versatile that I know.  If I were to just grow one skin care herb in my garden this would be it.  It is gentle enough for babies yet hardworking at the same time, and almost everyone likes it. And since you may have already planted some after reading the first part of this series, I will get on to how to use it. :D

One way that you can use it is by making lavender water.

Lavender water is great to have on hand for sunburned skin or when your skin is just feeling irritated in general. Lavender water will cool and soothe it.

To make it……

First you need about a cup of water, three tablespoon of dried lavender buds, a pot, and a 8-10 ounce glass bottle.  Now, I am sure the lavender that you just harvested is not dry yet, but if you read the previous post in this series, I talk to you about how to dry herbs. So what you do now, is bring the water to a boil, and then pour it over the dried lavender buds in a small sauce pan. Let it steep for five minutes or so, and then let it cool. Strain, bottle, and then refrigerate.  Splash on your skin anytime it needs to cool off.

Another way that you can use this lovely herb is coupled with oatmeal in a bath.

Lavender combined with oatmeal is great for skin that is dry and itchy or even bothered by rash.  Place two tablespoons of dried lavender and two tablespoons of oatmeal in a muslin bag or one of the handmade fabric bags you’ve received from an order at my online shop. Pull the drawstring on the bag tight, and place in a warm bath.

Did you know that lavender makes a lovely essential oil?

If you’ve ever used any handmade bath or beauty products with it you do! And while you can’t turn the lavender you harvested in you’re your yard into an essential oil without very special and expensive equipment, I can help you benefit from this healing essential oil.  I have harvested the healing power of lavender essential oil in my lavender swirl soap that will compliment and enhance anyway that you choose to use the lavender from your garden.

Happy gardening :)

lavender swirl soap

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March 14, 2012

Skin Care Garden How-To

Skin Care Garden and Herbs

Spring is fast approaching, and you know what that means. Time for gardening! 

I am sure you see the garden gloves, the pots, and all the seeds out on display by your favorite retailers.  I know when you see the wide array, you may be thinking that gardening is only for the flower lovers, or veggie lovers. However did you know that you can grow herbs for your skin care routine as well? And no, you don’t need to own a sprawling acre with the perfect soil to have a perfect garden. You can have a little bit of land to work with or none at all. Even those who live in apartments or condos can grow at home as well.  Herbs are great for beginner gardeners all the way up to the expert gardeners.  Herbs can be grown inside in containers, or outside.

Alright now to the good part. Herbs that are good for skin no matter the type include lavender, calendula, chamomile, and lemon balm.

Lavender is good for the skin because it is antibacterial and antifungal. It also helps to heal the skin by reducing scarring (you know from picking at ickies you may have had on your skin or from cystic acne), softens it (for those of us that don’t have the baby bottom soft skin anymore), and it keeps all skin types balanced.

Calendula is good for the skin because it helps to heal wounds, high in anti-inflammatory disease, and can heal skin that is suffering ailments such as eczema or dermatitis.

Chamomile is good for skin that has been burned, afflicted with acne, scraped or is irritated from things such as rashes.

Lastly, there’s my good friend Lemon Balm. Lemon balm is good for healing wounded skin, and helps with those pesky insect bites such as those spiders that might be wanting your skin for a midnight snack!.

Apartment Balcony Garden

It is easy to grow these plants indoors and outdoors.

There are many medicinal herb kits that sell the seeds of these herbs and mini containers. Many gardening centers sell the products. They are also easily found on sites such as amazon and other online retailers (try Etsy! They have some really cute and unique kits).  You can also just buy the individual seed packets from your local health food store if you already have plenty pots or containers to grow your skin herbs in.  You probably want to plant these skin loving herbs as soon as it is time for growing them in your growing zone. You can usually find your growing zone on the back of the seed packet. This way you can get the most out of your harvest. Gardening stores may also carry plants that are already mature enough for transplant into any indoor containers or outside plots.

Cold Press Natural Soap Honey and Oat Delight

 Gardening can be a little rough on your hands, so a good exfoliating soap such as my honey oat delight.

A good skin care regimen should include both inside and outside measures. Using good quality chemical free products such as ours, as well as using your new herbs in skin teas will keep you glowing for years to come!

Pink Flower

Stay tuned to the blog because over the next few weeks I’ll show you just what to do with your herbs! Each week I’ll feature one of the herbs mentioned in this post. So get GROWING ;)   and I’ll be here to show you what to do with your lovely greenies when they’re ready! :)

Blue Flower

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March 12, 2012

Behind the Scenes: Sunday in the Studio

20120311-221634.jpg

Yesterday Drew and Daddy Batty put up new lights in the studio!  The picture above is before they started working – I covered all the tables with a variety of table cloths to protect everything. You may remember how dark it was in the studio at night from this video. That’s definitely not the case now!  It’s so bright in there that it makes every other room in the house seem dark! lol. It’s a great improvement from what was lighting the studio before and makes for a great work environment! AND, the new lights are more energy efficient that the ones that were in there before! So it’s a step forward in all directions! I’m a lucky girl to have a husband whose JOB is to help people convert old energy sucking lightly and electrical components to the high efficient versions! I’ll be sure to show you the new lights in future posts. Below is a picture after the lights were put up – I wasted no time getting right to work!  On the list of things to make last night was primer. Pictured below is the clays that are part of my primer formula! I’m prepping the clays to add them to the butters that are being whipped by one of my kitchen aide mixers behind me. When I saw how the clays fell into a neat looking composition I just had to share :)

20120311-221700.jpg

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March 5, 2012

Batty’s Bath is approved by the Leaping Bunny Program!

I just got AMAZING news!  Batty’s Bath is now approved by the Leaping Bunny Program! We’ll be added to their directory on their next update :)

www.LeapingbunnyPledge.org Take the Leap to Cruelty-Free Products

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January 17, 2012

The Scent & Flavour of 2012

The facebook fans voted for the Batty’s Bath scent and flavour line up for 2012! I’m so excited to know that this year the line is picked by YOU! :)   Check out what the main scent and flavour line up will be below:

 

SCENTS OF 2012

Black Cherry
Hawaiian White Ginger
Birthday Cake
Coconut Cream
Buttercream Icing
Honey Ginger
Cream Cheese Frosting
Jasmine Neroli
Vanilla Sandalwood
Patchouli Cedarwood
Warm Vanilla Sugar

 

FLAVOURS OF 2012

Brown Sugar
Coconut Cream
Candy Apple
Lime
Vanilla
Black Cherry
Maple
Mint Chocolate
Raspberry
Peach
Chai Tea
Orange Creamsick

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November 25, 2011

2 Ingredients to Watch for Under Your Christmas Tree!

Today I was reminded of why I started making skin care products – even the “natural” companies, aren’t living up to their promises! In my mailbox today I found a newsletter (more like a newsPAPER!) from one of the biggest commercial companies toting the natural vibe. Now although this big company (that starts with an “L” and ends in an “H“), makes products that are better than a lot of what’s available out there, they are still using two ingredients (in the majority their products) that are on most “dirty dozen” lists of ingredients to avoid.

I previously talked in length about one of those ingredients, parabens, in a previous blog post. A summery of their danger is that they mimic hormones and are readily absorbed into our skin. You’ll find these at the end of the “Big L’s” ingredients lists for many of their products.
The second shameful ingredient that the big L adds to pretty much anything that bubbles, suds, or fizzes, is SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate). I’m sure I’ve mentioned this problem ingredient on many occasions but since I don’t have a blog post summarizing what it is and why you’ll want to avoid it, now is the time! The last thing we all want is to start a new year bathing and soaking in chemicals! Without further a do, here’s what makes SLS so shameful!

What Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are:
They are forming agents in the most basic terms. They create bubbles, form, and clean. They are some of the most widely used sulfates because they cheap. The almighty dollar strikes again. You’ll find these sulfates in all kinds of bath and body products including bath bombs (the big L is notorious for SLS in their bath bombs), shampoo, body wash, bubble bars (I’ve never seen one made without SLS or SLES), tooth paste, dish soap, bubble bath, shaving cream, etc. SLES is said to be the milder of the two, but its effects seem to be much more long lasting.
Why they should be avoided:
  • Concentrations as low as 0.5% can cause irritation.
  • Concentrations of 10-30% can cause skin corrosion!
  • Rashes, scalp scabs, canker sores, dry skin patches
  • Color stripping
  • Stripes shine from hair
  • Penetrates skin easily and can’t be metabolized by our liver
  • Possible endocrine disruptors
  • Not just skin and scalp irritants, they are also eye irritants
  • Contamination with 1,4 dioxane (cancer causing)
How to spot them on labels:
They will be listed exactly how I’ve listed them in this post (minus the abbreviation):
  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
  • Sodium Laureth Sulfate


Today’s take away:
Read labels! It’s the only way to see through marketing hype to know if you’re getting a natural, safe, skin loving product, or you’re getting something that seems wondering but actually contains cancer causing ingredients! Again, watch out for any ingredient ending in -paraben, and watch out for Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate




Posted in Be Informed, Helpful Articles, Seasonal | 3 Comments »

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June 13, 2011

Parabens – How to spot them on labels

In the past I’ve talked about what parabens are and explained why all of my products are paraben free but I feel it’s worth repeating. The point of this post isn’t to just repeat a post I’ve written previously, but instead, I’m going elaborate on my previous post by including how you can spot parabens by reading the labels on your favorite beauty products.

First, let’s do a quick review….
Parabens are preservatives used in over 70% of all beauty products. This is why you NEED to know how to spot them because you can bet that if you’ve bought something from the drug store, mall or department store lately, there’s a good chance it has parabens in it.
Why you should avoid them
  • one study showed that they can age the skin with exposed to UV light
  • another study showed that they mimic estrogen
  • they have been found in breast tumor tissue
  • contrary to what was previously thought, they can penetrate the skin and migrate into body tissue
Now let’s learn how to spot them!
If you have never read an ingredients label on a beauty product before, now is the time to start. When you do – don’t freak out! If it’s a commercially made product, the ingredients list is going to be HUGE with super long unpronounceable words, but I’m here to help you out! There’s lots of things to look for on ingredients list, but we’re going to start with baby steps and ease into things. If there’s anything I’ve learned from my university years, it’s don’t try to learn EVERYTHING all at once. Instead, start with something that’s manageable and build your knowledge bank from there. Today we’re going to start with parabens.
The great thing about starting with parabens is that they are pretty easy to spot on a label because the name of the ingredient generally ends with “paraben”! Parabens aren’t awesome but it’s awesome that some of the most common ones include the word “paraben”! There are a few that are a bit tricker to spot but thankfully the list of incognito parabens is short
Here’s the most common parabens you’ll find on ingredient lists:
  • methylparaben
  • ethylparaben
  • isobutylparaben
  • propylparaben
  • … (other variations ending in paraben can be spotted as well)
  • hydroxybenzoic acid
  • hydroxybenzoate
There you have it! Go grab the products you use everyday and check out those labels! You’ll be glad you used your new label reading skill to protect you and your family!
Stay tuned to the blog or join the mailing list for more “ingredient spotting baby steps” you can take!

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